CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that Hakeem-Ali Shomo, 34, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Anthony Bryant, 22, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, and Brittany Smith, 36, was sentenced to life in prison with the first eligibility for parole after 41 to 45 years for their roles in torturing and killing 21-year-old Alishah Pointer in East Cleveland.
The remaining defendants, Destiny Henderson, Nathaniel Poke, and Portria Williams, will be sentenced on January 9, 2026, at 10 a.m.
“Few murders reach the level of barbaric violence like the brutal murder of Alishah Pointer. Those responsible lack any sense of human decency or compassion. Each one of them deserves every day of their lengthy sentences.”
– Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley
On November 4, 2021, Portria Williams, 34, Destiny Henderson, 21, Nathaniel Poke, 26, and Hakeem-Ali Shomo drove to a residence near Glenmont Road and Superior Road in East Cleveland. Henderson and Shomo, armed with a gun, forced two female victims, 25 and 21, to get inside their vehicle and drove them to 21-year-old Alishah Pointer’s location.
They then lured Alishah Pointer out of that residence and took her to another location at gunpoint.
Portria Williams, Destiny Henderson, Nathaniel Poke, and Hakeem-Ali Shomo, ultimately released the first two victims and transported Alishah Pointer to Portria Williams’s residence, where they held her into the next day. While there, Brittany Smith and Anthony Bryant arrived at Williams’s residence, and Poke left. Then Shomo, Smith, and Bryant physically assaulted Alishah Pointer in order to gain information related to their friend’s death. Afterward, Shomo left Williams’s residence.
Henderson, Smith, Williams, and Bryant then forced Alishah Pointer inside their vehicle and drove her to an abandoned residence near Savannah Avenue and Manhattan Avenue in East Cleveland. After forcing her inside the abandoned residence, Williams and Bryant fired several shots at the victim. Henderson attempted to shoot but the gun did not fire. Afterward, Henderson, Williams, Bryant, and Smith left the scene and went to Shomo’s residence.
On November 9, the East Cleveland Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation located Alishah Pointer in the abandoned house, and she was pronounced deceased at the scene.
On October 7, 2025, Brittany Smith pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- One count of Aggravated Murder
- One count of Conspiracy
She was sentenced to life in prison with the first eligibility for parole after 41 to 45 years.
On October 31, 2025, Anthony Bryant was found guilty by a jury on the following charges:
- Two counts of Aggravated Murder
- Three counts of Murder
- Two counts of Felonious Assault
- Two counts of Kidnapping
- One count of Conspiracy
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole to be served consecutively with an additional 17 to 22.5 years in prison.
On November 25, 2025, Hakeem-Ali Shomo was found guilty by a jury on the following charges:
- Two counts of Aggravated Murder
- Two counts of Murder
- Two counts of Felonious Assault
- Four counts of Kidnapping
- One count of Conspiracy
He was found guilty by the judge on the following charge:
- One count of Having Weapons While Under Disability
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole to be served consecutively with an additional 36 to 41.5 years in prison.
On December 7, 2022, Destiny Henderson pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- One count of Involuntary Manslaughter
- One count of Kidnapping
- One count of Conspiracy
On December 8, 2022, Nathaniel Poke pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- One count of Involuntary Manslaughter
- One count of Kidnapping
- One count of Conspiracy
On March 20, 2023, Portria Williams pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- One count of Aggravated Murder
- One count of Kidnapping
- One count of Conspiracy
Henderson, Poke, and Williams will be sentenced on January 9, 2026, at 10 a.m.
